For the first time in nearly 10 years, a restaurant will be built from the ground up in Cathedral City for a cool $2 million.

Ground was broken Monday evening for the Runway Dining, Drinks & Drag restaurant.

“We have been trying to get this done for many, many years,” said Richard Altman, who owns the restaurant with his son Eric.

The 2,560-square-foot eatery will be located about 20 feet in front of CCBC Resort Hotel, the largest clothing-optional gay men’s resort in the United States. A 568-square-foot outdoor patio dining area will complement the indoor restaurant, which seats 90.

“This is going to be an entertainment complex,” Altman said.

The restaurant is designed in large part to supply guests with meals during their stay, Altman said. It will, however, also be open to the general public.

Altman said he hopes to have the restaurant open by late May or early June.

It will serve Americana Grill cuisine and be open 24/7. Live, local entertainment will be featured on a retractable stage.

As construction on the restaurant gets under way, the resort, which the Altmans also own, is simultaneously undergoing a significant upgrade. CCBC has 46 rooms and four suites along with a large swimming pool and two hot tubs that are situated in the center of an over 3.5 acre expansive property.

The restaurant and resort are located at 68-300 Gay Resort  Drive. In 2012, Altman went to City Hall to fight — and public opposition — to get the street name changed to Gay Resort Drive. Until then, there had only been two times when a street’s name was changed in Cathedral City’s history. That did not stop Altman. He wanted the street name to reflect the resort’s standing in Southern California.

Altman went out and talked to the local community. He talked to neighbors, local businesses, city staff and elected officials. He expressed the benefits of the street name change. He sold the idea of why he wanted the name change. This process took over three months. After all his hard work, the decision was left in the hands of city council. He was, of course, ultimately successful.